Methotrexate

Highlights for methotrexate • Methotrexate injectable intravenous (IV) solution is only available as a generic drug. It doesn’t have a brand-name version. • Methotrexate comes in four forms: injectable IV solution, self-injectable solution, oral tablet, and oral solution. The injectable IV solution is only given by a healthcare provider. • Methotrexate injectable IV solution is used to treat certain types of cancer, psoriasis, and joint inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis. • This drug has black box warnings. These are the most serious warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A black box warning alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous. • Diarrhea warning. Tell your doctor right away if you develop diarrhea during treatment. This can be fatal. Your doctor may have you stop taking this drug. • Liver problems warning. This drug can cause serious liver problems, including fibrosis and • Lung problems warning. This drug can cause lung lesions. These can occur at any time while you’re taking the drug and at any dose. Stopping the medication may not cause the lesions to go away. Call your doctor right away if you have signs of a lung lesion. These include trouble breathing, shortness of breath, chest pain, or a dry cough. • Lymphoma warning. This drug can increase your risk of malignant • Skin reactions warning. This drug can cause life-threatening skin reactions. These may go away when you stop receiving the drug. Call your doctor or g...

Methotrexate for Your RA It will help ease symptoms like How Does It Work? Methotrexate interrupts the process that causes RA Your doctor may call it a “DMARD,” which is a type of RA drug. (DMARD stands for disease-modifying antirheumatic drug). How Do You Take It? You can take methotrexate in either pills or shots. There are prefilled methotrexate shots that are easy to take at home. You will take 7.5 to 10 milligrams each week. Your doctor may raise that to 20-25 milligrams per week if needed. The pills will come with directions about how many to take and when. If you’re not sure about those instructions, ask your doctor or a pharmacist. Shots work better for some people, especially if you forget to take your pills on schedule or if the pills cause You inject the drug under the It can take 3 to 6 weeks to start to feel your methotrexate work. It takes even longer -- 12 weeks -- to get the full effects. Your doctor will test your Other Drugs You May Take Your doctor may prescribe methotrexate alone. Or you may also take other drugs like You’ll probably take Talk to your doctor before you take any drug or supplement. Not all drugs mix well. Taking biologics is not recommended while taking methotrexate. What Are the Side Effects? You may notice these side effects while you take methotrexate: • • Drowsiness • Headaches • Swollen or tender gums • Hair loss • Decreased appetite • Mouth sores • • Tell your doctor if you have them. They can adjust your dose so you feel better. M...

Methotrexate is a medication that treats arthritis, psoriasis and other inflammatory conditions. It decreases inflammation in your body. This can reduce pain and prevent long-term damage to your joints and skin. It can also slow down the growth of cancer cells to treat cancer. Brand names for this medication are Rheumatrex® and Trexall®. What is this medication? METHOTREXATE (METH oh TREX ate) treats inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis. It works by decreasing inflammation, which can reduce pain and prevent long-term injury to the joints and skin. It may also be used to treat some types of cancer. It works by slowing down the growth of cancer cells. This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions. COMMON BRAND NAME(S): Rheumatrex, Trexall What should I tell my care team before I take this medication? They need to know if you have any of these conditions: • Fluid in the stomach area or lungs • If you often drink alcohol • Infection or immune system problems • Kidney disease or on hemodialysis • Liver disease • Low blood counts, like low white cell, platelet, or red cell counts • Lung disease • Radiation therapy • Stomach ulcers • Ulcerative colitis • An unusual or allergic reaction to methotrexate, other medications, foods, dyes, or preservatives • Pregnant or trying to get pregnant • Breast-feeding How should I use this medication? Take this medication by mouth with a glass of water. Follow ...

Read and follow the patient instructions that come with this medicine. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. Measure the oral liquid medicine with a marked measuring spoon, oral syringe, or medicine cup. Swallow the tablet whole. Do not crush, break, or chew it. Do not take the tablet if you cannot swallow it. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Your doctor may give you folic acid or folinic acid supplement to help reduce the unwanted effects of this medicine. For patients with cancer: Do not take folic acid or folinic acid supplement unless directed by your doctor. Do not take this medicine with foods that are rich in milk. Dosing The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. • For oral dosage form (tablets): • For acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): • Adults and children—Dose is based on body size and must be determined by your doctor. At first, 20 milligrams (mg) per meter squared (m(2)...

Search this website Hide Search • Disease Information • Rheumatoid Arthritis • Psoriatic Arthritis • Ankylosing Spondylitis • Osteoarthritis • Gout • Osteoporosis • Patient Corner • Drug Information Sheets • Managing Your Arthritis • RheumTV – Patient Education Video Library • Our Research • Patient-Centered Outcomes Research • Current Research Studies • The Camille Julia Morgan Arthritis Research and Education Fund • About Us • Appointment Information • Contact Us • Our Faculty • Our Staff • Rheumatology Specialty Centers • Donate What is Methotrexate? Methotrexate is a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory conditions. Nearly 60% of all rheumatoid arthritis patients are currently on or have been on methotrexate. Methotrexate is recommended as the first treatment for RA by the American College of Rheumatology. How do I take it? Methotrexate is taken ONCE A WEEK. You will choose a day of the week, for example Saturday. You will then take your methotrexate every Saturday. The pills are 2.5mg each and the usual dose is 3 to 10 pills. Follow your rheumatologist’s directions. Do not take more or less medicine than ordered. This medicine can be taken with or without food. You should also take 1mg of folate (folic acid) each day. Your rheumatologist will prescribe the folic acid. This will help prevent side effects. What about side effects? Methotrexate can cause mouth ulcers in a few patients, in the beginning of treatment. This should go away with ...

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Pediatric Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of Jylamvo® in the pediatric population. This medicine is not approved for use in children. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of methotrexate for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis in children. However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children with other conditions. Geriatric Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of methotrexate in the elderly. Breastfeeding Studies in women breastfeeding have demonstrated harmful infant effects. An alternative to this medication should be prescribed or you should stop breastfeeding while using this medicine. Drug Interactions Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. ...